Shoulder pad



Nov. 25, 1 947.

W. LEFI SHOULDER PAD Filed March 2, 1945 INVENTQR,

Patented Nov. 25, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

der and of a construction which assures permanent retention of such curvature.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shoulder pad of simple construction, inexpensive in material, and adapted for low cost quantity production.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which-- Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly in perspective, of the top of the shoulder pad, partly broken away to expose the several layers that comprise it;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1 showing the bottom of said pad;

Fig. 3 is a section through said pad on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section through said pad on the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly in perspective, of the cushion of said shoulder pad; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the pattern to which the casing of said shoulder pad is cut.

The shoulder pad shown in the drawing comprises a casing l0 having an upper portion II and a lower portion l2 integral with each other. Said casing i0 is out to the pattern is shown in Fig. 6. Dot and dash line H1 in said pattern represents either the warp or woof of the cloth of which the casing is made. When the casing is sewed together as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the sides thereof represented by sides 20 and 2t of the pattern are sewed together to form dart 24; the sides represented by sides 20a and 21a of the pattern are sewed together to form dart 25; the sides represented by sides 22 and 23 of the pattern are sewed together to form sea-m 26; and the sides represented by the sides 22a and 23a of the pattern are sewed together to form seam 27. Ellipses 28 and 28a, respectively, in the pattern, represent the lines on which darts 29 and 29a, respectively, are formed in the lower portion ll of the casing.

Before the casing is sewed together as above described, the cushion 30 is inserted therein, said cushion comprising a triangular shaped member which is thick at one side and thin at two sides, the thick portion tapering off uniformly to the two thin sides. Cushion 30 consists of a filler 3| of cushioning material such as kapok or cotton, a top layer 32, an intermediate or inner layer 33 and a lower layer 34 of stifiening material such as buckram, all of said members being sewed together by means of 2 stitches 35 to form the unitary member herein designated as cushion 30.

It will be noted in Fig. 3 that the same threads 36 which sew the seams 28 and 21, join the casing to the cushion. It will also be seen in Fig. 3 that by reason of the existence of darts 24, 29 and 29a in the lower portion I 2 of th casing, said lower portion is drawn together to concave shape and, at the same time, the upper portion H of said casing is drawn to convex shape, the latter phenomenon being caused in part by the use of dart 25. Since the casing and the cushion are sewn together, the lower portion of the cushion is similarly caused to become concave in shape and the upper portion of the cushion is likewise caused to become convex in shape. The darts above mentioned will cause said shoulder pad to retain its shape shown in Fig. 3 permanently.

The embodiment above described is but a preferred embodiment of the invention herein claimed. Variations may be incorporated therein without departing from the basic principles of the invention. For example, the invention is not limited to the specific type of cushion shown in the drawing and described above. Other suitable cushion-s might be used.

I claim:

1. A shoulder pad having a tapered cushion including stiffening members connected thereto, and a unitary casing of bias-cut material covering said cushion, said casing having top and bottom sides joined to each other and to the cushion at the edges, a plurality of darts being formed in the bottom side to draw in said side and the adjacent portion of the cushion to concave shape and to draw in the top side and the adjacent portion of the cushion to convex shape, said darts being spaced at both ends from the edges of the casing.

2. A shoulder pad having a filler of cushioning material and a casing therefor having top and bottom portions joined at their respective edges, darts being formed in the bottom portion to draw said portion in to concave shape and said top portion to convex shape, said darts being spaced at both ends from the edges of the casing.

WILLIAM LEFI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 661,935 Lowenthal Nov. 13, 1900 2,169,491 Giuseffi Aug. 15, 1939 2,273,498 Romaine Feb. 17, 1942 2,329,496 Walcoii Sept. 14, 1943 2,365,280 Lahm Dec. 19, 1944 

